I have beening looking for a second hand iSonic 115 or 111 for some time with no luck. However I noticed that one of the online retailers here in the US is advertising a brand new 2004 Hpersonic 111 for about what I expect a second hand 2006 iSonic 115 to cost. I am looking for maximum top end speed with a 7.0 and an 8.0, which is why I hanker for the iSonic.

Considering the price and availability, should I get the Hypersonic 111, or will I be better off waiting until I find a iSonic 115 or 111?

What are the main things I will notice when sailing a Hypersonic vs sailing an iSonic?

I havn't sailed the isonic... but I know you will probably like the hypersonic 111 for marginal sailing. For top end speed, I can pretty much garuntee that the isonics are faster...

The hypersonics are fast, and in all directions. Upwind, downwind, across the wind... they are fast, their cruising speed is somewhere around 42 km/h, they plane early with the right technique and take forever to get off the plane. The hyper is 77 cm wide and 118 cm long. I found this different at first. It is very short :-) which makes it SO much fun to ride...

I would deffinatly recomend a test run for the hypersonic though. You either love them or hate them. They almost never seem to spin out either. And you can use a smaller fin than you normally would. I use a 34 cm fin with my 7.6 when I know I am reasonably powered. Marginal winds I go with the other stock fin, the 42. I have used it with a 7.6 down to a 5.8 and it handles them, and chop very well! But the isonic's narrower shape might make it a safer bet in windier and more powered up conditions.

My verdict...

Hypersonic if you are sailing in marginal conditions as well as powered up sailing with your big sails and racing long distances... it glides through lulls etc

Isonic if you want pure top end speed and are fully powered with your 7.0 and 8.0

I've sailed the Hypersonic quite a bit, of course they are 218 cm long, 118 would not work too well! The nice thing about the Hypersonic is that it goes upwind like nothing else with just a small fin, the channel bottom really helps.

Yes, the iSonic might be faster on some points of sail, but the hyper will be more versatile all around.

The main thing to watch out for with the Hyper is that when you start to get to sub-6.0 conditions with head high waves- you want a much smaller board! On the flat water and small chop they are fun- big waves are not fun at all.

I watched a Pro-Tech slalom board sail away from Roger Jackson this summer in Hatteras, so don't believe all the talk about how fast the iSonics are, they certainly have their place. (Hope to hear that Roger recovers rapidly from his heart problems.)

What are the main things I will notice when sailing a Hypersonic vs sailing an iSonic?

I've sailed both briefly and first impressions are the difference in feel is far greater than the speed difference. The HS feels like a mim-formula. The ISonic is more 'skittish' , meaning it feels less attached to the water. Probably more exciting, but probably more challenging to make full use of. I was surprised just how different they feel.

My only regret with HS is that I did not buy the 96 litre version. Still, HS 111 is great and at the time the smaller board was a step too far. With a multi hull background it is not surprising that I am attracted to the smooth ride of boards with concaves. Have found this to be a consistent theme through the years of riding when comparing with the flat bottomed boards I have owned.

Additionally, I sailed my 133 Hyper 'head to head' with a couple of guys on isonics (one on the 125 & the other on the 133 - both 06's). I would say that I pulled away from the guy sailing the 125 isonic reasonably comfortably, but I think the guy on the 133 isonic was able to pull away from me over all, but at times I was catching him. It was lightish conditions, but we were all powered up well enough for comfortable planing.

I don't think the hyper is particularly good at early planing vs the isonic - the hyper takes a bit of work to unstick it vs the isonic IMO. In sub planing conditions with big sails the hyper is more comfortable that my 111 isonic.....but you would expect that from the volume alone (keep in mind that the 111 is actually lower volume than the quoted 111 litres).

I have had more concern with catching the nose in chop with the isonic 111 than with the hyper 133 - but I think this is me having to learn how to trim & setup / sail the isonic - but I don't think I am alone in this - its slightly unnerving - especially when you are still recovering from a server broken ankle & dislocated foot - but thats another story! I'm sure I'll get the trim sorted eventually.

The isonic was way more stable side to side than I expected, but more sensitive fore-aft.

I bought the isonic 111 because I wanted something to fit in my collection of boards width wise between the hyper (78cm from mem???) & my 111 carve (62cm - its an '03 model I think) - the isonic 111 at 68cm fulfils that role - I found the hyper's width can make it become a handful a little too early in rougher sea states, while the 62cm of the carve 111 didn't quite have the side-side stablity I was seeking for my largest board. I also decided that a 9m sail was going to be my largest sail & I wanted just a two board line up - I have a Naish 8'6" wave oriented board that I can sail with a 6.5m down to 4m ish so i wanted a board to go from 6.5m to 9m - the isonic 111 fills that role interms of sail size well (I'm about 85kg & 6'3" for info) - I also figure that above 6.5m sea state should be relatively flat & below 6.5 relatively rough - the two boards fill those roles nicely......I have a collection of about 8 boards to choose from too

The isonic 111 gybes surprisingly nicely - better than the hyper. I would say that the two boards in my hands are pretty equal on top end speed - but I feel that I've been closer to the max on the hyper than I have on the isonic - just a conditions thing when I've been out......interestingly, so far I've seen higher speeds on my GPS with my old late 90's slalom gear - long-ish narrow boards than I have with the wider styles.

In Ortakent, Turkey last year I spent two weeks on my hyper 133 wearing my GPS & even racing one of the ribs (which I was slightly faster than), then on the last day I took out an old narrow mistral for 40mins & clocked a faster speed by 3 mph, but for sure the hyper & isonics have a wider usage & are more stable. having said that the isonic 111 with a heavy 9m race sail is not very nice in non-planing conditions wanting to luff the whole time - you have to work hard that the fore-aft trim the whole time. Tacking - the hyper is way easier than the isonic 111 - volume in the nose issue - the hyper 133 has a fail bit on volume in that short nose. I like sailing them both, but if I were to chose between them for 6.5m-9m - I'd pick the isonic 111 everytime.......for use with greater than 9m & down to 7.5m then i'd increasingl lean towards the hyper.....I just felt that my 10.3m starts getting a bit of a handful too soon after comfortable planing (its a free-ride 10.3m not a super stable race sail), hence no sooner had the wind increased to comfortable planing conditions then I was having to change down anyway - I think I loose more from teh top end with teh 10.3 than I gain at the low end vs a good 9m......& the sailo choice then dictated the board choice.

I owned HS 105 and 111 and tested an iS111. I think some of the statements posted until now are expecially true and useful:

"I would deffinatly recomend a test run for the hypersonic though. You either love them or hate them."
"The nice thing about the Hypersonic is that it goes upwind like nothing else with just a small fin"
"the difference in feel is far greater than the speed difference."
"I don't think the hyper is particularly good at early planing vs the isonic - the hyper takes a bit of work to unstick it vs the isonic"

Also consider the HS is an ugly gyber, while the iS is pretty easy. I would add that probably the HS can be made to plane in lesser wind, but at the expense of bigger effort; meaning that after the first few tries (depending on your fitness) the iS will become the easiest to plane!
My opinion: in the stated sail range (7.0 to 8.0) the iS will be a much nicer ride; can't say about speed, but I guess the iS will have better overall performance and maybe the HS higher top end in really overpowered conditions, when it will just skim over water. The iS should be more practical to use and have fun on.
My advice: consider two boards, one brand new, the other used but in good conditions; and consider you may sail both; how long will it take to have both in the same undistinguishable wear conditions? In other words: "new" makes sense expecially design update wise; but if you are OK with design (and in this case the used board would be even more recent!), "brand new" or "good conditions" make no difference.

Since you want top speed in 7-8m range, I'd say go for iSonic. Hyper can be fun also, but many people hated its ride/handling. As said above, iS will be more responsive, will accelerate more in the gusts and is a better gyber. Hyper will have better angles up/downwind ("semi-formula"), and will sail similar with maybe greater sail range. It will also feel like a train in its tracks, going at its own (very good) pace, less sensitive to sailor input.
It would be great if you can take either one for a ride.